Rudi
Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 07:28PM
We first met Rudi (and his sister Sophie) a couple months after our beloved Weim Frieda died. We weren’t ready for another dog, but my husband’s coworker told him about a newspaper ad “Weimaraner Free to a Good Home.” It was shortly after 9/11 and I thought….. what are we waiting for? Turns out there were TWO Weimaraners, both 4.5 y/o. We weren’t the first to apply, but it was love at first sight for all of us.
Rudi always looked to Sophie to give the OK. He was unsure of new surroundings and events, but laid-back and so willing to please. He was truly a good boy. When he was 9, he tore his ACL and I used a brace instead of surgery to heal him. No long walks, limited movement in the house, leash-only potty breaks, me fumbling with the brace and strapping and subsequently with physical therapy. Rudi never once complained. We became even more closely bonded. All Rudi wanted to do was please me. And he succeeded.
We called him Thumper and “the ever-wagging Rudi” because from the first thing in the morning to the last at night, his tail never stopped. He was so happy to be with us. Such a sweet, quiet boy. Perhaps a tad lazy. He had the cutest habit of watching everyone’s actions while lying on his cushion, moving only his eyes as if moving his head would be too much trouble! LOL He let Sophie do most of his bidding, but once he was sure there was good food being handed out, he was real quick to move off his comfy cushion! Rudi had a deep cavity in his chest where I’d bury my nose and kiss him as he sat on the sofa before curling up to sleep for the night. Rudi even smelled sweet!
He turned 13 on 1/30/10 and was in great shape and great health, we thought. In March he developed a cough and an X-ray showed a growth in his lung, confirmed by an internist and oncologist to be advanced lung cancer. But he still had a lot of lung power left, and I thought we would have several months together. Late in April while walking from room to room, he fell and couldn’t rise. We had a vet come to the house. Even as he was being supported to be examined, Rudi was SO happy to be standing again, his tail wagged in glee. Unfortunately, his thigh bone was broken. The cancer probably had started there and traveled to the lung. We never knew - Rudi never showed any signs of weakness or pain. The leg could not be repaired; we made the heart-wrenching decision to put him to sleep… in the sun on a sofa he loved, with sister Sophie nearby, and engulfed in the love we had given him for 9.years. He was a good boy right to the end. Our ever-wagging Rudi. I whispered not to be afraid, he wasn’t alone and Frieda would greet him at the Rainbow Bridge. I know some day Rudi will be there to meet Sophie and they will be together again. Forever.
Here’s Rudi snuggled on Sophie rump shortly after they came to live with us. Inseparable. The other photo was taken a month before he died, after the oncologist’s diagnosis. Poor Rudi was so agitated his ears and eyes were beet red. My 13.25 y/o baby.
We miss you so much, Rudi, and will always love you.
Mommy, Daddy, and Sophie
Reader Comments (1)
Thank you for sharing your story about Rudi. Just like Rudi, when we lost our beloved Miranda, she was wagging her tail as she always did right up to the end. She was a real trooper. Even in her impaired and painful condition, she still wagged her tail like she always did as we said our painful last goodbyes.
I found the grief of losing such a beloved family member was to much to bear individually; it had to be shared and spread out in order for healing to take place.